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A) Field of the Invention
This invention pertains in general to dental systems that are used to replace teeth that are lost due to age, accident, diseases or other reasons. In particular, the invention pertains to the conversion of a non-implant anchored denture prosthesis to be compatible with dental implant fitted to a denture wearer. This invention also pertains to the marketing of dental implants to denture wearer through the communication of the benefits of this retrofitting system.
B) Background of the Invention
The loss of teeth can lead to speech and eating impairment, with the significant tooth loss considered a social stigma in a culture which places an emphasis on and considers to be a thing of beauty, a smile with a full set of white teeth. As result, the dental profession for centuries has worked to develop dental systems that replaces lost teeth of its patients with a prosthesis which takes up the functions (eating and aiding in talking) as well as the actual appearance of the lost teeth.
The tireless efforts of the dental profession have given rise to three well-accepted systems for of tooth replacement. Two of these systems, the dentures (removable prosthesis) system and the bridges (non-removable prosthesis) system, have been in use for a long time. These systems are similar that they both utilize tooth replacement prosthesis to addresses only the replacement of a part of the missing tooth, namely the exposed portion of the tooth known as the crown.
The denture is a removable dental prosthesis which has artificial teeth imbedded in a denture base resembling the gum or gingiva. The denture base provides the support for the prosthesis by resting on the gingiva. The underside of the denture base has a depression receptacle that receives at least a portion of the gingiva so as to provide a snug, reversible fit of the denture onto the gingiva that was adjacent to the lost teeth.
The denture could either be a partial denture in only replacing a few teeth or it could full denture in replacing an entire set of teeth. A full denture would replace the lower set of teeth (xe2x80x9clower denturexe2x80x9d) or upper set of teeth (xe2x80x9cupper denturexe2x80x9d). With the full denture, the surface of the depression receptacle base adheres to the appropriate gingiva of the denture wearer through saliva from the wearer""s mouth causing a vacuum between the surface of the depression receptacle and the mucus membranes of the gingiva. In the case of partial dentures, these dentures traditionally reversibly secure to the gingiva through the use of specially design adhesive that is applied to the gingiva and the depression receptacle for that purpose.
A bridge prosthesis is similar to that of a denture prosthesis except the bridge is normally a limited to being partial denture which is non-reversibly cemented or otherwise affixed to the adjacent teeth.
The third and latest system for tooth loss replacement is the system of dental implants otherwise known as the field of dental implantology. This field addresses the loss of the entire tooth including the root which is the anchoring and weight bearing structure for the tooth.
Dental implantology embeds an artificial implant into jawbone of the patient to replace or supplant the root of the patient""s missing tooth. These implants can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, designs and compositions. The implant can have an attachment or cap placed on its exposed portion that protrudes through the gingiva to facilitate the non-reversible fitting of the artificial crown on the top of the implant. If there is additional tooth loss, multiple implant-artificial crowns can be used to replace the lost teeth.
Sometimes to be cost effective or if the patient""s dental condition requires its or both, the dental profession combines the denture system with dental implantology so to create a dentures that are reversibly secured to a patient by a dental implant system. This system can be used to reversibly secure partial or full dentures. In this type of tooth loss replacement system, the dental implant is first applied to the patient. In general, the denture, especially a full denture, requires the placement of one or more dental implants into patient to form the basis for reversibly affixing the denture to the patient.
After the implants have been properly affixed to jaw bone of the patient, a new denture is then constructed to fit in with the remaining teeth, if any. The depression receptacle of the denture is made to receive the patient""s gingiva, the exposed portions of the dental implant(s) and at least one securing device that allows the denture to reversibly attached to the exposed portion of the implant(s).
The type of securing device selected depends on the type of implant used. Commonly, the securing device can be a resilient C-clip or saddle clip that straddles a post that is horizontally mounted between two post-type implants. The securing device can also be a female receptacle containing an elastomeric O-ring retainer that reversible affixes to a cap affixed to the exposed potion of the implant. The cap is male with an external grove that reversibly accommodates the O-ring set into the female receptacle. The securing device is affixed to the denture by adhesive to the space created for it in the denture base.
In this manner, the denture can be more efficiently, reliably and securely attached to the patient than through the use of attachment systems such as saliva-vacuum or adhesive. The use of implant system which incorporates stand-alone anchor and weight bearing supports, has help to alleviated a lot of the problems associated with the earlier tooth replacement systems (removable dentures which causing embarrassment to the patient when unexpectantly falling out of place, fixed bridges adding stress adjacent teeth by relying on them for support).
However, since it is standard dental practice at present when installing in a patient an dental implant system using dentures, is to make a new denture that was specifically deigned and made to be reversibly attach to the patient""s dental implants. Usually this manufacture of new dentures takes two or three dental visits spread over a long period of time.
As such, the present dental implant system fails to address the situation of the denture wearer who already has dentures (non-dental implant attached type). The current system requires the denture wearer to acquire a second set of dentures and to expend considerable cost and time to have these implant-specific dentures made.
This is especially true for denture wearers, who as they get older, either through the aging process or advancement of dental disease, experience a change in their gingiva or jaw bone mass. This mass losses or shape change would prevent the gingiva from closely engaging the denture base preventing the normal saliva-vacuum attachment system from being a fully effective denture securing means.
Further, a significant number of the denture wearers, even with the rising prominence of field of dental implantology, are accustom to and only understand systems and science (dentures and bridges) that have existed for a long time. These denture wearers sometimes lack the necessary understanding of dental implantology to fully appreciate the benefits that can be afforded to them by this newer system.
As a result of these current dental implant protocols, the denture wear even when grasping the understanding of the benefits of dental implant technology must under go the additional time and significant expenses of associated with making and fitting new dentures to replace their old non-implant based dentures.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a system that modifies non-implant secured dentures by retrofitting the dentures with implant technology to allow the old dentures to be able to reversibly attached to dental implants affixed to the denture wearer. It is also an objective of this system to market the dental implant technology and its benefits to denture wearers by communicating to the denture wearers that their old ill-fitting dentures can be converted to an attachment system which makes their old dentures once again securely and easily attach to the denture wearer.
It is a further objective of this invention to modify the non-dental implant compatible dentures to use replaceable clips that reversibly fasten the dentures to dental implant.
It is further objective of this invention to provide to wearers of non-dental implant dentures a reversible securing mechanism for their dentures to that is superior to the saliva-vacuum grip or the adhesive securing methods that are commonly used by such denature wearers.
It is yet another object of this invention, to help reduce the possibility to wearers of non-dental implant dentures that their dentures would be accidentally dislodged under embarrassing circumstances.
It is a still another objective of the invention to modify an originally non-dental implant secured dentures which no longer closely or securely fit wearer due to aging or advancement disease accept securing apparatus that will allow the improve the securing capabilities of the denture to the denture wearer.
It is yet another objective of the invention to allow the denture wearer who is to receive dental implants without having to incur additional time and the additional expense of making an additional denture that is specifically made for dental implants.
It is yet another object of the invention to modify to originally non-dental implant type dentures to accept a reversible attachment device which is less susceptible to changes in the patient""s jaw bone mass or gingiva shape.